


The Second Wedding of River Song

by GrumpyJenn



Series: Friends Through Time and Space [10]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Family, Fluff, Friendship, Love, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-25
Updated: 2012-08-25
Packaged: 2017-11-12 20:35:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/495393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GrumpyJenn/pseuds/GrumpyJenn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff"><p>a little fluffy, but these series are so angst-ridden I really wanted something lighter.</p></blockquote>





	The Second Wedding of River Song

“She _what?_ ” Jack was incredulous.

Evie smiled up at him, snuggled closer, and repeated what she had said. “Sexy Thing contacted me herself on that psychic paper when she dropped me off.” He nodded. “And I _think_ \- without direct contact it’s hard to tell - that she wants to throw the Doctor and River a real wedding... Earth style.”

“But I...” Jack stopped, looking thoughtful.

“...thought that they’re already married. Me too. But I got the feeling that Sexy’s rather cross she wasn’t invited.”

Jack stared at her open-mouthed for a few seconds, and then he began to laugh. “Well, then, let’s go get the parents of the bride.”

“Oh,” said Evie archly, “There’s no rush. I have other plans for you, lover.” And she tugged at his shoulders until he bent to kiss her.

\------------- 

Rory opened the blue door of his townhouse to see Jack and Evie standing there, beaming at him. He looked around, saw no blue box, and the first thing out of his mouth was, “How did you get here?” Jack grinned wider.

“You forget, Centurion, that I _live_ in this time. Not so far from Cardiff to London, you know.”

“Well yes, but _visiting_ , it’s...”

“Well, it’s not just a visit, is it?” asked Amy rhetorically from behind him, “There’s something going on. No burns or bleeding or broken bones though, happy faces, something good, yeah?”

“I think so,” said Evie, smiling at the taller woman as they were ushered into the house and settled on the sofa. “Sexy sent me this note.” She held out the psychic paper to Rory, knowing that he was a favourite with the TARDIS.

_my child my thief againstill loving_

_pyramid in alltimes marriage not_

_needsmore wedding sexy_

“Ugh, the headache is almost as bad when she says it in English,” moaned Rory, holding his head, and Amy looked over his shoulder at the note, then down at Evie, who giggled.

“I guess that’s why she sent it to me,” laughed Evie, “but we’ll ask her when we get aboard. Anyway, the... the flavour of it has faded, but I got the definite impression that Sexy wants a traditional wedding for her child and her thief--”

“--whatever _traditional_ means when discussing the wedding of a Time Lord and a half-human who live sort-of-opposite each other,” put in Jack dryly.

“--and that she’s cross that she wasn’t invited to the last one,” Evie finished.

“She _was_ there, wasn’t she, Rory? Inside the Tesselecta, I mean,” Amy said and Rory nodded. “But I suppose she wants to be a... a bigger part of it.” She shrugged. “Our part is easy, when it’s not an emergency. On three? One, Two...”

“I consent and gladly give,” Amy and Rory chorused, and fell about laughing. Rory wiped his eyes and continued, “It was all so _intense_ up there. I’d just realised that my commanding officer was actually my wife in another timeline, there was a fair bit of pain and confusion and...” he reached out to squeeze Amy’s hand. “...and things we’d rather not discuss. Maybe it would be good to have another ceremony at least, and a party after. But why aren’t we talking to _them_ about it?”

“Oh,” said Evie, and smiled at him, “Didn’t I say? Sexy wants it to be a surprise.”

\-------------

“More people than just us, yeah?” asked Amy. “I mean, that’s part of what’s made the TARDIS cross, that it was only we four, emergency handfasting, too fast, right?”

“And no dancing,” put in Jack, winking at Evie, who had heard the story of the Doctor dancing with Rose. Rory shuddered and Amy laughed.

“He was _terrible_ when he danced at ours,” she said, giggling. “Like a drunken baby giraffe. Are you alright?” she asked Jack, who was choking on laughter. Even _he_ hadn’t ever thought about a drunken baby giraffe in quite that intimate a sense as ‘dancing’ implied to him. Evie gave him a fondly severe look.

“Don’t fret, Amy,” she said dryly. “If he chokes to death he’ll revive soon enough.” But she pounded him on the back anyway.

Once Jack had recovered, Amy took up the conversation again. “So who else can we invite? We can’t have everyone because most of his friends think he’s dead or are in other universes or something... and who’s to perform the ceremony?”

“And what sort of ceremony?” asked Evie, “because it’s not like they’re... normal as far as that sort of thing goes.”

“Ah, we’ll make it up as we go along.”

Rory and Jack left the giggling redheads at this point, saying they were going down the pub for a pint and shaking their heads about women and weddings. And the women made lists.

\-------------

“Oh,” said Evie with a little catch in her voice. “They’re beautiful. The twenty-first century sure knows how to dress.” She smoothed the dark blue fabric over her arm and looked at it admiringly, then looked up and back as Jack embraced her.

“Look at you three,” he said, “All dressed up and looking gorgeous. It’s nice that you ladies match but I have to tell you; I’m not dressing as a Roman. If you want me to wear a skirt we can head up to Edinburgh. I wear the MacDougall tartan.”

“Why that particular one?” Rory wanted to know, but at the fleeting look on Jack’s face he was sorry he’d asked. “Never mind,” he said immediately, but Jack smiled at him and tightened his arms around Evie. _Touching always has comforted him_ , thought Rory.

“To remember Estelle,” he said softly, and shook his head as though to clear it. “Too bad Cole isn’t a sept of Clan Campbell; blue _does_ bring out my eyes.” He batted his eyelashes at them and then bent to kiss Evie thoroughly. When they came up for air she laughed, breathless.

“Do you wear the kilt in the traditional manner, Jack?” At his look she laughed again. “Never mind, of course you do. Right then, we’ve got coordinating dresses for the gingers, one midnight blue and one mossy green to match _their_ eyes. One full-on Centurion kit, one Highland warrior kit, one lovely replica of the dress River wore at the last wedding, but in a metallic sort of green that Sexy says is the Doctor’s favourite.” Evie rummaged in her little bigger-on-the-inside handbag and pulled out the psychic paper. “Sexy also says that she’ll get the Doctor into his tuxedo if she has to - and I quote - tie him down with a bow-tie to do it. I don’t think that’ll be necessary.”

Amy laughed. “His top hat’s the only one River can bear to see him in; I’m sure the TARDIS can think of some reason to get him into that kit.”

“Right, so... anyone else we need to pick up in this century while we’re here? Now?”

Amy shook her head and Rory did the same. “I thought about Sarah Jane Smith,” said Jack softly, “but the Doctor’s already been to her funeral, and this is supposed to be a happy occasion. Same goes for her kids and the Brigadier and... well, most of the people Doc knew in the 20th and 21st; they’re either dead or they think he is. Or they’re too... twenty-first century to cope, like Amy’s and Rory’s parents.” He sighed and Evie reached up and back to kiss him.

“So then,” Rory - always the practical one - said as the kiss went on. And on and on, “Guys? Jack... Evie...” he sighed. “Oh well, time travellers, no rush I suppose. Shall we?” he asked Amy, holding out an arm, and she accepted it. “Er... you pair can use this room; we’ll lock the door...” he said, then muttered under his breath, “Not that it matters to you...” and Amy laughed and dragged him out of the room, locking the door behind them.

\-------------

One trip to Edinburgh later, the quartet trekked across the Atlantic - the old-fashioned way, in a plane - and then to a little ruined temple in Central America, where they sat and waited for Isrea to notice that someone was at her doorstep. None of them knew what method Isrea used for travelling through time and space; they knew her temple was not on Earth, and they knew that Sexy could get them there, but how Isrea did it nobody was sure. So they waited.

As the sun began to set on the second day there they all - even Jack - got sleepy. And when they woke up it was still sunset, but the tree they lounged under was no longer a greenish-brown palm tree; its fronds were feathery and a pale and dusty pink. “How does she do that?” asked Amy in a hushed voice, and Evie shook her head.

“We don’t know,” she said in a voice equally as hushed. “But we’ve come to visit without the TARDIS and this is how we do it; we show up there and wake up here. Usually it doesn’t take this long; I suppose she was making sure you and Rory are you and Rory. Look.” She nodded down the path and then raised her arm to wave at the reptilian woman approaching.

Isrea’s crest feathers were erect from ear to ear, her equivalent of a wide smile. “Ho, Ev-ie and Jack,” she said in greeting, “And A-my and Ro-ry are welcome in Isrea’s home. Did the four come for mating and ssstories?” Jack smothered a laugh as Amy turned bright red and Rory muttered to himself under his breath.

Evie didn’t bother to smother the laugh as she looked up at Isrea, wrapping her hand around the priest’s wrist in an affectionate greeting. “Only in the formal sense, dear,” she said. “Isrea knows that the Doctor and River are mates?” Isrea nodded human-fashion. “We - their friends - want to have a ceremony to formalise their mating. Would Isrea like to help?”

“If thisss ssceremony does not go againssst Isrea’s beliefsss, Isrea will help. Isrea would be _honoured_ to help.” She looked a bit shy for a moment, Jack thought. “May Isrea sssay the wordsss of the ssceremony? Isrea is a priessst...”

“Evie and Evie’s friends hoped Isrea would say the words,” said Jack solemnly, grasping her other wrist. “Amy and Rory know the words better than do Jack and Evie, but all will speak of them to ensure that Isrea is comfortable with the words and the actions.” Isrea nodded again, and ducked her head modestly, but even Amy and Rory could tell how pleased she was by the position of her crest feathers.

Once her blushes had subsided, Amy looked up at the Haemogoth woman. “Right then, Isrea,” she said briskly, “here’s what we need to do...”

\-------------

“I don’t know, honey, I was hoping to indulge in a hot bubble bath.” River wasn’t really paying attention to her husband hopping from one foot to the other, and when he didn’t say anything she looked up, surprised to see him in full tuxedo kit. _Oh well that’s different,_ she thought, _not just any party, but something formal; what shall I wear?_

 _(something for my child)_ said the TARDIS’ mental voice, suggesting the clothes were already taken care of, and River’s last objection dissolved. The Doctor wanting her to go out after a long day convincing adolescents that not all the old sites on earth were passé was one thing, but when _Sexy_ proposed the idea that was a different question altogether. “Why didn’t you say this was the Old Girl’s idea, Sweetie?” she asked with mild impatience, and he smiled at her, that slow smile where he looked out from hooded eyes under his fringe - the hot-when-he’s-clever smile.

“Not _entirely_ her idea, I gather,” he said, “some of our other favourite people will be at this party too... your parents, Jack, Evie, Isrea, Maddie, Mirabel. Come to think of it... that’s nearly everyone who knows I’m er... alive.” His grin grew wider. “And Evie sent a message by psychic paper saying it’s in her suite so I won’t even have to wear a perception filter!” He started bouncing madly on the balls of his feet and she smiled at him.

“Oh all right, my love, but I’m showering first. And washing my hair.”

“I’ll help,” he said eagerly, looking ready to dash into the bath with her, top hat and all. He loved her hair. Laughing, she tugged him back into the sitting room and deftly divested him of all the formal clothing, laying it carefully across the bed so it wouldn’t wrinkle.

Then he helped her wash her hair. And the rest of her as well.

\-------------

When they emerged, a metallic green dress in an oddly-familiar cut that River couldn’t quite place had joined the Doctor’s tuxedo on the bed. On the floor near his spats was a pair of heeled sandals - _very_ high-heeled - in a bronzey-gold colour. River loved them, and sighed happily as she slipped them on. “Smart and comfortable,” she said with satisfaction, “As a good pair of shoes ought to be. Now then, are we to walk across to Evie? What time does that psychic invitation say?”

_(I take my child my thief to another orange girl)_

“But it’s just down the hall, love,” objected the Doctor, and when the TARDIS said no more he shrugged. “If you want to, Old Girl.” They listened to the wheezing noise of the time rotor with a fond sort of contentment - this was what life should be like, running only when one wanted to, playing or working when that was one’s own choice. When the TARDIS landed the Doctor offered River his arm, which she accepted, and together they walked to the doors. The blue doors swung open - out - and the Doctor and River stepped into the familiar and comfortable room.

It _was_ usually familiar. But not today.

Today the usual serviceable coppery brown furniture of Evie’s sitting room was pushed against the wall, and in its place was a... _bower_ was the word that came to the Doctor’s mind. He stood dumbly against the TARDIS at his back for a moment, staring round at the profusion of flowers and other vegetation, from at least two planets he could identify. River was laughing, saying, “What’s all this?” and tugging him forward to the little knot of their friends in the centre of the room.

_(married again, my doctor and my child)_

Everyone heard it this time, even Isrea, and River stopped pulling on the Doctor’s arm as her green eyes filled with tears. “ _Oh_...” was all she could say, even as the Doctor muttered something that sounded like _humany-wumany_ and dashed his free hand across his eyes.

“Yes,” said Isrea, and with the TARDIS there they heard her as though she spoke English, “It is time for the ceremony.” She directed everyone to their places - Amy in the mossy green dress and Rory in his Centurion gear off to one side - and began. “Amy and Rory, do you give your nestling River, Water-that-moves-swiftly, to the Time Lord known as the Doctor?”

“We consent and gladly give,” they said, and Amy smiled brilliantly at her best friend and her daughter, even as tears trickled down her face. Rory stepped forward and kissed River on the forehead. “The last time I didn’t really know you,” he murmured, “but I am so proud to have you as my daughter.” He clasped the Doctor’s hand in a gesture that spoke of brotherhood and family, and stepped back into his place.

“Jack, you are as the Doctor’s family,” Isrea said then, startling him, and Rory gave him a look that said, _yes you are, yes we told her so, now just do it_. Jack stepped forward, resplendent in MacDougal plaids, and waited, blue eyes full. “Do you give your brother the Doctor to the woman known as River, Water-that-moves-swiftly?”

“I consent and gladly give,” Jack said hoarsely, then recovered himself and kissed all three of them - River, the Doctor, and Isrea - soundly. Then he stepped back and put his arms around Evie and rested his chin on the top of her head.

“Now there must be a strip of cloth,” said Isrea, referring to the thin plastic sheet she used as paper, and there was a rustle of amusement as she continued, “for the handfasting.”

“About a foot long,” murmured the Doctor and removed his bow tie. “River, take one end of this, wrap it around your hand, and hold it out to me.” Their eyes didn’t waver from each other’s as they both wrapped the ends of the bow tie round their hands, then moved closer so they were only a breath away. “River Song,” he said softly, “Melody Pond, the woman who married me... again.”

Isrea beamed at them but they didn’t see her, with eyes only for each other. “River Song, do you take the Doctor as your husband?”

“With all my hearts,” River breathed.

“And Doctor, do you take this woman as your wife?”

“Always and completely,” the Doctor said, eyes shining.

“Then you may kiss the bride,” Isrea said simply.

“I’ll make it a good one...” he said, and swallowed hard.

“You’d better,” she said, and brought her free hand around the back of his neck to pull him close.

There were no burning lights, no restarting of time and space. No killing on a beach in Utah, Just a kiss, a lovely and loving kiss, and the echoes of the words _always and completely_ and _you are loved by no-one more than me_. The lovers and their family and friends stood in the little room, surrounded by flowers and love. And all were content.

\-------------

Evie dug up some banana-orange juice for the Doctor when she discovered he wouldn’t drink wine and loathed apple juice, sparkling or otherwise. They had to have something for toasts, and even the Doctor’s throat got dry in that sort of situation. He sat there on Evie’s little sofa, with River sort of draped around him, and toasted them all together and singly.

“For all of you to do this for us,” he said, shaking his head. “It’s... amazing, fantastic... I--”

“--I did tell you that you were loved by so many and so much, my love,” his wife interrupted, and kissed him until Rory cleared his throat, when she finally let him go. “Maybe now you’ll believe it.”

“We would have brought others,” Evie said apologetically, “because there are _so many_ others... but we only wanted those who know...” He nodded, understanding.

“My friends... you are so very precious to me,” he said simply. “Maddie and Mirabel, who have been my friends only recently, but who care enough to be here. Isrea, the healer of spirit and soul. Jack, my... my brother and my friend for _centuries_. Evie, such a tiny little thing and so _fierce_ in her protection of those she loves. Amy, my little Amelia Pond, the Girl Who Waited... for me and for her Rory. Rory, the brother of my hearts and by some weird twist of fate my father-in-law. River, my beautiful and mad and wonderful River Song, Melody Pond.” This kiss went on even longer than the last, and this time the interruption was purely mental, but everyone heard it. The Doctor broke the kiss and laughed.

“And my other wife,” he said tenderly, with a nod toward the blue box, “who has been with me since I looked old and was young, and still stays when I look young but am old. My Sexy Old Girl and the other love of my life.” He had to stop for a moment; the feelings of love and joy and _being cherished_ were almost palpable and he closed his eyes to better concentrate on them.

_(love my thief my child my friends)_

“And we love you too, Sexy Thing,” said River softly.

“Now,” said Evie, “we’ve dancing planned...” Jack laughed and Rory rolled his eyes and Amy groaned in mock terror. The others simply looked confused at the reactions.

“Love dancing,” said the Doctor gleefully; “it’s brilliant.” Jack’s laugh turned into a choke and the Doctor gave him a severe look, then held out a hand to his wife. “Well, River? Shall we?”

“Of course, my love,” she said, “because you always dance at weddings.”

**Author's Note:**

> a little fluffy, but these series are so angst-ridden I really wanted something lighter.


End file.
